Nowcasting Initiative: User Requirements

Agenda

Introductiono Attendees, project

User requirements surveyo Review of survey results o Round table discussion

Demonstrationso Trial BOM service/development to dateo Data feed into GIS system (YVW – only at the Network

Operations/GIS workshop)

Key Objectives

Develop and test a prototype system that serves Bureau products to the Victorian Water Authorities

Develop and strengthen relationships between the Bureau and the Victorian water Authorities

Project details

Nowcast Survey Summary

1. Two user groups to consider: Operators, Modellers2. The main needs are

1. Office based access2. Emergency preparations and response (network operations, treatment plant

operations, flash flooding, sewer flow gauging, compliance reporting/assessment)

3. Planning/Hydraulic modelling (scenario modelling, catchment inflow, integrated water management)

3. Issues for consideration1. Inter-authority flows2. Technical diversity3. Overlay in GIS systems4. Costs and capability and capacity to adopt: inhouse vs hosted

Nowcast Survey Summary

4. Operators want 1. as much warning as possible of rain events

1. Daily rainfall mm 1 to 7 days out2. Forecast Rainfall: mm & prob. exceeding 1:5yr ARI up to 6hrs ahead at

hourly intervals 3. Nowcast : mm & prob. exceeding 1:5yr ARI up to 6hrs ahead at 10min

intervals 4. and other ARI’s >1:10, >1:20,etc

2. location3. probability of ARI 1 in 5 year (and other ARI’s >1:10, >1:20,etc)4. time lapse visual presentation with asset overlay5. inflows from other authorities6. post-rain event data: Eg. estimated rainfall mm by location last 24 hrs,

accumulation since 9am, exceedence of 1:5yr ARI

Nowcast Survey Summary

5. Modellers want1. Access to Operations views to enable identification of upcoming

events of interest2. Download targetted events for input3. Data in different formats: WMS, CSV, WFS, netCDF, (format for eWater)4. Rainfall event data mm, probability of exceeding 1:5yr ARI (and other

ARI’s)

Q2. How could Nowcast potentially be used within your business?

Activity Rating Real time

Emergency preparations and response 2.88 yes

Network operations 2.63 yes

Treatment plant management 2.25 yes

Compliance reporting and assessment 2.29 no

Planning and hydraulic modelling 2.14 no

Environmental impact 2.13 no

There is a need to be able to access the data in real time for operational use and for post-event analysis

Can access historical data through existing Bureau infrastructure eg the radar rainfall estimates for last 24 months

Need to keep say the last 10 days of data online so that it can be downloaded on demand

Q3 Which products would you use , and rate it's importance?

Rainfall estimations Rating

ARI of last hour 2.86

30 min accumulation 2.43

Since 9AM accumulation 2.43

Last 24 h accumulation 2.38

Last 6 h accumulation 2.33

Q3 Which products would you use , and rate it's importance?

Rainfall forecasts Rating

0-90 mins at 10 min steps 2.57

0-6 h at 10 min steps 2.57

0-6 h at 1 h steps 2.57

30,60,90 min accumulations 2.50

0-7 days at 1h steps 2.14

Q3 Which products would you use , and rate it's importance?

Rainfall probability Rating

1:5 ARI next 90 min and 6 h 2.86

1:5 ARI for hourly accumulations to 7 days 2.43

0-6 h at 1 h steps 2.57

0-7 days at 1h steps 2.14

30,60,90 min accumulations 2.50

Q4 How important is Nowcast to predict

Product Rating

Forecast probability of rain > 1:5 ARI 2.86

ARI of observed rainfall for last hour 2.75

Rainfall amount 2.78

Catchment averaged rainfall 2.75

Q5 Where will you use the service?

Location Rating

Office - operations control centre 2.86

Office - planning desks 2.71

Field units over company network 2.33

Office – network modeller desks 2.29

Home/public computer with logon for situational awareness

1.86

Q6 What service would you prefer?

Service Rating

Company GIS 2.86

Stand alone visualisation with company asset overlays

2.33

Current Bureau radar maps 1.88

Q7 What format would you like?

Format Rating

Web map service images 6

Excel/CSV 3

Products sampled at gauge locations 3

netCDF files 2

Q8 What GIS system do you use?

GIS Number

Autodesk/Enlighten 4

Intergraph 2

MAPINFO 3

Q9 What modelling systems do you use?

Modelling system Number

REALM 4

Infoworks WS 4

Infoworks CS 4

12D 3

MUSIC 2

HEC-RAS 2

Synergee 1

Q10 What additional features would you like?

Time series graphics of observed and estimated rainfall at a location

Nowcast Survey Summary

1. Two user groups to consider: Operators, Modellers2. The main needs are

1. Office based access2. Emergency preparations and response (network operations, treatment plant

operations, flash flooding, sewer flow gauging, compliance reporting/assessment)

3. Planning/Hydraulic modelling (scenario modelling, catchment inflow, integrated water management)

3. Issues for consideration1. Inter-authority flows2. Technical diversity3. Overlay in GIS systems4. Costs and capability and capacity to adopt: inhouse vs hosted

Nowcast Survey Summary

4. Operators want 1. as much warning as possible of rain events

1. Daily rainfall mm 1 to 7 days out2. Forecast Rainfall: mm & prob. exceeding 1:5yr ARI up to 6hrs ahead at hourly

intervals 3. Nowcast : mm & prob. exceeding 1:5yr ARI up to 6hrs ahead at 10min

intervals 4. and other ARI’s >1:10, >1:20,etc

2. location3. probability of ARI 1 in 5 year (and other ARI’s >1:10, >1:20,etc)4. time lapse visual presentation with asset overlay5. inflows from other authorities6. post-rain event data: Eg. estimated rainfall mm by location last 24 hrs,

accumulation since 9am, exceedence of 1:5yr ARI

Nowcast Survey Summary

5. Modellers want1. Access to Operations views to enable identification of upcoming events

of interest2. Download targetted events for input3. Data in different formats: WMS, CSV, WFS, netCDF, (format for eWater)4. Rainfall event data mm, probability of exceeding 1:5yr ARI (and other

ARI’s)

Possible solution

Bureau hosts a site outside their firewall that contains: Last 10 (?) days of data as netCDF Hosts a web map service to deliver the imagesMaintains the GIS asset layers from the water authorities

Bureau will provide larger quantities of data as netCDF on request and on a cost-recovery basis

Conversion to other data formats will be the responsibility of the water agencies